


The Many Hats of Joshua Kiryu

by ImperfectOrphanage



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 17:31:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10667445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperfectOrphanage/pseuds/ImperfectOrphanage
Summary: Joshua came with many hats.---A what-if prompted by a conversation the other day with a dash of semi-personal experience.





	The Many Hats of Joshua Kiryu

 

Joshua had a lot of hats to wear. It wasn’t so much he had things to do, but having suffered an illness as a child he had a variety of wigs and hats to cover his head. The doctors were never sure why the hair loss was permanent, but because of his family history of autoimmune disorders, there wasn’t much they could do.

He had been around eleven, and he took it in stride. Fashion was what drove him to invest in several wigs and hairstyles. He loved to wear hats instead of hair, as they were far less itchy and needed less maintenance and styling. Before he had been too far into the Game, and before he had met the illusive CAT, Joshua had bought an entire set of CAT inspired beanie hats. They were colorful and soft, and they fit his head without giving him a headache.

On most days, he would wear his favorite purple knit hat. It had bear ears and dangling pompoms on the side. Joshua hadn’t needed to wear much since he’d become Composer, but every now and again he would stand in front of the mirror completely bare of any power to try on the hats.

It had only been a few weeks since Neku had moved in. Joshua often forgot he lived in the same apartment when his mind was otherwise engaged, but it was a nice surprise to see Neku sprawled on the sofa in the living space.

Unfortunately, sharing certain aspects of his life had never been Joshua’s strong suit. He was mysterious and he was proud of the fact that he had many secrets. Eventually, he would think, he’d tell Neku everything but not today.

“Oh.”

No. Not today.

“So, uh, what happened?”

Joshua wanted to disappear. He wanted to rewrite Neku’s memories and disappear from the apartment as if nothing had happened. It would have been the easy way out, and it wouldn’t be what was best, and he had begun to live for what _Neku_ thought was best.

He didn’t turn to face Neku. His hands curled in the purple hat and he tilted his head up to look at his face.

The pale skin.

The mottled spots on one cheek and ear.

The bald head without one tiny hair.

“Nothing happened, dear. It was what I looked like as a human.”

Footsteps. He looked to the side and found Neku coming closer. The boy was smiling with a sort of silly peace in his eyes. Neku put an arm around Joshua’s shoulders and sighed.

“Y’gotta stop acting weird. I mean, you had your hand in my chest.”

Joshua grinned. “Well, I had to get the bullet out.”

“I think it’s cute. I like to see you vulnerable.”

“I suppose I owe it to you.” Joshua put a hand on the mirror. “Do you want to touch my head for good luck?”

Neku laughed. It echoed in the bathroom. “Holy shit, Josh, I don’t think that’s a thing.”

“Suit yourself. It’s quite soft.” Joshua reached up to rub his fingers over his head. “It was an autoimmune illness. Nothing special. I had to be put on certain medications and this was an unfortunate side effect of the steroids. I’m not upset. I found it easy to care for. Imagine the money I saved on shampoo.”

Again, his partner laughed, but it was softer. Neku’s hand tentatively stroked Joshua’s head. “Hey, it is soft. It’s like…velvet kinda but without the fuzz.”

Joshua watched as Neku’s hand rubbed from the front to the back several times. His fingers were tender and they moved to the mottling on his right cheek.

“It’s ugly I-“

Neku shook his head and put a finger to Joshua’s lips. “It’s not ugly. It’s you. I like you, I like the spots and the baldness and the everything you are. You’re my friend, Josh. That means every inch of you is my friend and I don’t think it’s ugly.”

He didn’t want to cry. It would have been foolish. But there was a warmth in his heart that hadn’t been there in the past. Joshua exhaled and pulled the purple beanie on his head. “This one is my favorite.”

Neku smiled. He glanced in the box and exclaimed, “holy fucking balls you have the whole set of CAT beanies _and_ the limited edition ones?! I hate you so much.”

“You may wear them.”

“Seriously?!” Neku fell to his knees to dig through the box. “Josh, these are…amazing. Oh my god almighty I can’t believe you’ve got the _red one_.”

Joshua tugged the hat from his head and bent down to Neku’s height. “Put one on me.”

His partner’s eyes twinkled. Neku sat down and drug Joshua to his bottom as well. They spent the night trying on hats and taking silly pictures.

Living with Neku was in interesting experience.


End file.
